Symphony - Ai no Uta
by Sailor StarFire
Summary: An alternate-worlds story of how Haruka and Michiru might have become Senshi. Haruka and Michiru are very happy together, but when Michiru falls ill, and their peaceful life seems to be falling apart, what should they do?
1. Default Chapter Title

_Symphony : Part I_

"Haruka..." 

Haruka Tenoh stirred, rubbing her eyes. 

"Haruka..." the gentle voice called to her again. 

"Nnngh..." Haruka squinted her eyes shut. "Leave me alone..." she mumbled. 

"Wake up!" The pillow hit Haruka square in the face, startling her into alertness. 

"What the hell--Michiru! What's the big idea?!" Haruka sat up in bed and glared at the aqua-haired beauty standing by her bedside. 

"You weren't waking up," Michiru Kaioh replied, shrugging. 

"So you don't have to _beat_ me to death, do you?" Haruka complained, throwing the covers back. 

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Haruka," Michiru sniffed. 

"I'm not!" 

Michiru arched her eyebrow. 

"Oh...never mind." Haruka made a shooing motion with her arms. "Come on, go away so I can get dressed." 

Michiru smiled slyly. "Feeling a bit shy this morning, are we?" 

"No, feeling a bit like my sleep was interrupted," Haruka countered, grinning a little in spite of herself. 

Michiru grinned. "See you at breakfast," she said, gliding out the door. 

"Bitch!" Haruka laughed. 

"Damn straight," Michiru called over her shoulder. 

* * * * *

"Ah, that was refreshing." Michiru sat back in her chair, daintily pushing her plate away from her. 

"Mmmhmm," Haruka replied, still chewing. 

"Well, you seem to have quite an appetite this morning," Michiru observed, smiling. 

"Yeah, well, it's not like I had a great wake-up call this morning or anything," Haruka replied, making a face. 

"Well, you're not much of a morning person to begin with..." 

"What is this? Open season on Haruka?" she laughed. "You're picking on me more than usual, Michiru." 

"Sorry," Michiru laughed. "Hey, be happy I'm in a good mood at all!" 

"Yeah, well, whatever floats your boat. If you get your kicks out of making fun of me, be my guest," Haruka snorted, draining her glass of orange juice. 

Michiru gave her best innocent smile. "Oh come on, Haruka. Lighten up." 

Haruka laughed. "Huh. It's usually me telling you to lighten up!" She wiped her hands on a napkin and stood. "Mind telling me why you woke me up so early?" 

"Ten thirty is hardly early, Haruka," Michiru said, arching her eyebrow. "Being a bit melodramatic, now aren't we?" 

"Fine, whatever. Just why did you get me up in such a god-awful hurry?" 

"You seriously forgot?" Michiru studied Haruka with such intensity that she began to squirm. 

"Forgot what, Michiru?" 

"I can't believe you _forgot_!" Michiru stood, putting her hands flat on the table. 

"Forgot _what_?" 

"We are supposed to be going to get Setsuna to bring her to the _party_!" 

"Party--?" Haruka's eyes widened. "Shit! I totally forgot! The party's _tonight_?!" 

"Yes!" Michiru threw her hands in the air. "I can't believe you forgot!" 

The party was to benefit the new opera house. Michiru and Haruka had agreed to host the event since both were accomplished musicians. 

"I know, I know! Rub it in my face later; we have stuff we have to do to get ready!" She took her keyring out of her pocket. "Are you ready to go?" 

"Yes, I'm ready," Michiru sighed, rubbing her temples. She had the beginnings of a headache forming there. 

"Are you all right?" Haruka stopped in the doorway. She looked concerned. 

"I'm fine. Let's go." 

"Grab a jacket; it might be chilly later." 

Michiru smiled to herself as she took her favorite coat off the hanger in the hall closet. _Haruka always worries about me,_ she thought. It gave her a sort of warm feeling inside. Still grinning, she walked out to where Haruka was waiting by the car. 

Haruka opened the door for her and helped her in. When Haruka slid behind the wheel a few moments later, she said, "What's so funny?" 

"Nothing," Michiru replied. "I'm just smiling." 

Haruka gave her a sidelong glance as she navigated the long mansion driveway. "OK. What are you smiling _about_, may I be so bold to ask?" 

"You." 

Haruka put the car in park at the end of the driveway. She turned to face Michiru. "Look, I know you were pissed off at me because I for--" 

Michiru placed a finger on Haruka's lips to silence her. "Shh. I'm not mad anymore." 

Haruka looked a little relieved. Michiru removed her hand. "Then why--" 

She was again silenced, but this time it was Michiru's lips against her own. They kissed for a minute, and when they parted, Michiru sighed. "Well, shall we go get Setsuna?" she asked, smoothing her skirt out on the seat. 

Haruka shook her head and laughed as she put the car in drive and aimed the car towards town. 

* * * * *

"So, how have you two been?" Meioh Setsuna asked, taking off her hat and letting her long dark green hair flow behind her. Haruka had put the top of her yellow convertible down so they could get some fresh air. "And I wanted to thank you again for inviting me to stay with you. Especially with this big party tonight. I'm looking forward to it, though. You know how I love to hear you two play." 

Haruka and Michiru smiled at each other across the front seat. Haruka slowed the car for a red light. 

Michiru turned in her seat to face Setsuna. "We've been fine, Setsuna. How about yourself?" 

"Oh, I've been doing all right..." she sighed. "I'm sort of homesick, I guess..." 

Michiru nodded in sympathy. Setsuna had left home awhile ago and she said she didn't really get to keep in touch with anyone there that much. She had never told Haruka and Michiru why she left, nor did they think it was any of their business, anyway. But Haruka and Michiru had decided that Setsuna should visit with them for awhile to stave off the loneliness of living on her own. 

Haruka floored it when the light turned green. Michiru gave her a look of mild annoyance, barely catching her balance. "Please, Haruka, you're not on the racetrack today." 

"Sorry," Haruka grinned. "You OK, Setsuna?" 

"I'm fine," Setsuna laughed. 

They made it back to the mansion in record time, thanks to Haruka's driving technique. After she parked, Haruka helped both Setsuna and Michiru out of the car. 

"You have such a lovely place," Setsuna marveled. "I had forgotten how beautiful it was." 

"Thank you," Haruka and Michiru responded at the same time. 

Haruka led the way and Michiru and Setsuna followed her inside. 

"Haruka-sama. Michiru-sama," a young maid curtseyed as they entered. She hurriedly took their coats and Setsuna's bag even though she protested. 

"I can get it myself--" Setsuna began. 

"I'll get it, miss," the maid said. Setsuna handed her the bag, shrugging. 

The maid curtseyed again and turned to Haruka. "Haruka-sama, where shall I put this?" 

"Miss Meioh is staying in the guest suite, Hime. Please see that it is satisfactorily prepared for her." 

"Yes, Haruka-sama." Hime curtseyed and scuttled off to prepare the room. Haruka's eyes followed her up the stairs. 

"Haruka." 

"Huh?" Haruka turned to see Michiru smiling at her. "Yes, Michiru?" 

"Don't make me regret this morning." Michiru smiled wryly. 

Haruka laughed. "You worry too much, Michiru." 

"Do I have reason to?" Michiru countered, sniffing contemptuously. "She's just a _maid_ after all." 

"Michiru..." Haruka shook her head. 

Setsuna cleared her throat softly. Haruka turned, mildly startled. She'd forgotten Setsuna was still standing there. She flushed slightly. 

"I think I'll go to my room if that's OK. I had a long trip and I'd like to freshen up--maybe take a nap before tonight..." she said. 

"Oh, that would be fine, Setsuna. I'll have Hime come back and show you the way--" 

"No, that's fine," Setsuna replied, casting a quick glance at Michiru. "If you'll just tell me where it is I'm sure I can find it on my own." 

Haruka shrugged. She gave Setsuna an appreciative look. As soon as she'd told Setsuna where her room was, she gave her instructions to tell Hime if she needed anything. 

As soon as Setsuna was upstairs, Haruka went to Michiru. 

"Michiru...are you all right?" Haruka asked worriedly. Michiru was standing with her back facing Haruka. She put her hands on Michiru's shoulders. 

"I'm...fine, Haruka. I just have a headache. I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean anything before--" 

Haruka turned Michiru so she was facing her. "Michiru, I would never hurt you. I'm sorry. I was just--" She trailed off. Michiru's cheeks were flushed. She looked like she might have a fever. 

"You're sick," Haruka said worriedly. 

"No, I'm fine," Michiru insisted, pulling away. "I just need some aspirin or something..." 

"Are you sure?" Haruka moved closer again. Michiru did indeed look slightly feverish. _Nothing too serious,_ Haruka surmised, _seeing as how she's still walking around._

"I want you to go lie down. You need rest for tonight." Haruka took Michiru's hands in her own. 

Michiru looked ready to protest, but then she finally resigned. "All right, Haruka." 

"I'll make sure everything gets done before tonight. You just rest." 

Michiru smiled appreciatively. 

"Do you want me to walk you to your room?" 

"Yes, please, Haruka." Michiru smiled. 

_Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought. She looks a little better already...maybe it was just the light or something,_ Haruka thought, following Michiru up the staircase. 

When she reached her room, Michiru turned to Haruka and smiled. "Well, don't let me sleep too long." 

"I won't. You think I'm going to entertain all those guests without your charm?" Haruka smiled. 

Michiru laughed lightly. "Such a flatterer," she said quietly. 

Haruka hugged her. "Feel better, OK?" 

"Thank you, Haruka," Michiru replied, hugging her back. Haruka kissed her lightly before she went into her room to rest. 

Michiru smiled at Haruka through the crack in the door as she was shutting it. Haruka stayed in the hall until it quietly latched. Then she sighed and, casting a worried glance over her shoulder at Michiru's room, headed off to find Hime and the others to help prepare for the evening's events. 

* * * * *

"Why hello, sir, glad you could make it." Haruka smiled a greeting as the new orchestra conductor was escorted into the room by one of the household servants. Haruka's blue dress swished pleasantly against the carpeting and her long blue evening gloves gave her a very elegant and feminine appearance. 

"Haruka! You look stunning!" Setsuna exclaimed. She herself was wearing a floor-length black dress made of a slinky material and a single strand of pearls around her neck. 

"Thanks, Setsuna. You look lovely, too," Haruka replied, smiling. "Confidentially, though, I feel much more natural in my racing uniform," she whispered conspiratorially, still smiling and nodding at various guests as they called out to her. 

"Miss Tenoh," the conductor, Mr. Yoshino, called out. "Where is Miss Kaioh? I haven't seen her around yet." 

"Where _is_ Michiru?" Setsuna wondered. 

"She wasn't feeling well earlier, and she said she wanted to lie down," Haruka replied quietly. "I guess I should go get her up now." 

"I'm right here," Michiru called lightly. Some of the guests stopped their chatter as they watched in awed silence as she descended the staircase. She was wearing a luminescent white gown and had her hair wrapped elegantly with a sheer white cloth. Several exclamations could be heard around the room, most about her stunning beauty. 

Haruka's breath caught in her throat. Michiru looked more beautiful than she had ever seen her before. 

As she swept down the stairs, normal conversation began to pick up again. Several people came over and complimented Michiru on how gorgeous she looked. 

"Michiru, you look fabulous," Haruka exclaimed quietly. 

"Why thank you, Haruka. You look beautiful this evening as well," Michiru said lightly. They tried to take it easy on how much of their relationship other people saw. Although when they were around people that didn't know them, they tended to be far more open since most people thought Haruka was a man anyway. 

"Are you feeling better?" Haruka asked worriedly as they made their rounds during the party, greeting guests and complimenting people every now and then. 

"I feel much better, thank you," Michiru responded. "I think I just needed to lie down for a bit, that's all." 

A little later during the party, Mr. Yoshino stood. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, clearing his throat and tapping a fork on the side of a crystal wineglass to get everyone's attention. "I would like to personally thank Miss Tenoh and Miss Kaioh for the use of their home for this wonderful event. They have, I believe, agreed to perform for us one of their famed duets, have you not?" he asked, looking to Haruka and Michiru. They both nodded. 

This was met with polite applause. "Then, without further ado, may I present Miss Tenoh Haruka and Miss Kaioh Michiru, entertaining for your enjoyment," Mr. Yoshino said, smiling. 

The duo made their way to the front of the room, where the piano sat. An ornate white chair held Michiru's violin case. 

The two began to play, the music flowing out of their instruments and filling the room. The enraptured guests all sat and quietly listened to the beautiful strains, some closing their eyes and others merely smiling softly. 

It was during a more complicated bridge that Haruka noticed Michiru was slightly off with her timing. _Funny,_ she thought. _I don't think Michiru's ever messed up in front of an audience before._ Haruka adjusted the speed of her playing ever so slightly. She glanced over at Michiru. She was no longer playing the way she normally did--without the aid of the music stand in front of her. Normally, she would play with her eyes closed, thoroughly lost in the music she was making. This time, however, she appeared to be straining to read the notes on the page. 

Haruka was alarmed. Michiru was looking feverish again. She swayed slightly and her music was off tempo again. They were almost near the end of the selection. As the last strains of the final notes died away, Michiru swayed and nearly collapsed. 

Haruka was at her side instantly. Michiru caught her balance and stood shakily. Guests gasped and stood to see if they could offer her assistance. Haruka and Setsuna waved them back. 

"She has a very high fever," Haruka determined, placing her cool hand on Michiru's forehead. 

Michiru groaned. Hime ran over. "Michiru-sama! Haruka-sama--is she all right?" 

"Hime, call the doctor. Then take care of Michiru-sama's violin," Haruka instructed. "I'm going to get her to her room." Haruka picked Michiru up in her arms and carried her towards the stairs. "Mr. Yoshino, I'm sorry, but I think you will have to send everyone home now," Haruka said apologetically but firmly, whisking Michiru out of the room and over to the main staircase. 

Setsuna was walking with them. "Haruka, I'll stay and help Mr. Yoshino," she volunteered. She squeezed Michiru's hand. "Take care of her." 

Haruka nodded her thanks and carried Michiru up the stairs. 

* * * * *

Less than an half an hour later, Doctor Chiyoda arrived. "What seems to be the trouble?" he asked as Haruka, now dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, led him up the stairs. "I don't usually make house calls, you know." 

"I know, and I appreciate it very much," Haruka replied. "Michiru said she had a headache this morning, and I thought she looked a little feverish, so I had her lie down for most of the afternoon. This evening she seemed much better, but right after we finished playing our duet she nearly collapsed. When I felt her forehead, she was burning up." 

By this time they were right outside Michiru's door. 

Dr. Chiyoda nodded his head. "Probably just a simple case of the flu, but with how quickly it struck, it's probably good that you didn't move her too much." 

Haruka nodded and stood aside to let the Doctor into Michiru's room. She was now dressed in her nightgown, lying on the bed, barely conscious. 

"Hmmm..." Dr. Chiyoda gave her a quick examination. "She has a very bad case of the flu. She'll probably be very sick for the next few days. Maybe a week. Possibly more, depending on how good her immune system is." 

Michiru was sleeping now. 

"Just keep her in bed as much as possible, keep her comfortable, and make sure she drinks lots of fluids," Dr. Chiyoda instructed. "Also, here is some medicine. This should help the fever and the nausea. Just make sure someone is with her at all times if at all possible." 

Haruka nodded. "No problem," she said. She cast a worried glance over at Michiru, who appeared to be sleeping soundly. 

"Thank you for coming, Doctor," Haruka said a few moments later as she paid him at the door. 

"No problem, Miss Tenoh. Just make sure you do what I said, and call me if she gets any worse." 

"I will," Haruka said. "I promise." 

* * * * *

"Nnngh..." Michiru stirred. "Haruka..." 

Haruka woke with a start. "Huh--Michiru?" 

Michiru was still in bed. Three days had gone by and she seemed to be getting worse, not better. The doctor had come by again the day before to check up on her, and all he was able to do was tell Haruka to keep an eye on her. "There's really nothing more you can do for her," he had said, shaking his head. 

Now Haruka leaned closer to Michiru. Michiru appeared to still be sleeping fitfully. Her fever had gone up, yet she was very pale. Harkua sighed and sat back in her chair. _She must have been talking in her sleep,_ she thought wearily. She was so tired... 

She had been awake nearly all of the three days. She stayed by Michiru's bedside most of the time. Setsuna had tried to get her to go to sleep so she could watch Michiru, but Haruka was relentless. So Setsuna took it upon herself to keep Haruka healthy since she obviously didn't seem to care. 

There was a light knock on the door. It creaked open to reveal Setsuna and Hime. Hime had a steaming tray of food, and Setsuna had two cups of tea in her hands. 

"Knock, knock," Setsuna said quietly. "Here. We brought you food." 

Haruka sighed and passed a hand over her eyes. "You didn't have to," she said, taking the tray from Hime nonetheless. Hime curtseyed and disappeared, casting a glance back over her shoulder at the sleeping Michiru. 

"If I didn't bring you food, you would starve to death," Setsuna said lightly. She sat on the second armchair in the room. "Here. Drink this." 

She handed a cup of herbal tea to Haruka. She sipped gratefully. "You're totally wiped out," Setsuna said after a slight pause. "You should get some rest." 

"But Michiru--" 

"You're not going to do Michiru any good if you're sick, too," Setsuna reasoned, looking over the rim of her cup. "It's not like we're going to forget about her. Really, Haruka," she continued, setting her cup down on the nightstand, "I'm here. I'd be happy to look after Michiru for a few hours while you rest." 

"Well--" Haruka paused. She appeared to be thinking it over carefully. _She's probably right. I'm not going to do Michiru a whole hell of a lot of good if I'm dead on my feet when she wakes up. And I am very tired..._ "Fine," she sighed at last. Setsuna nodded in satisfaction and stood. "Just take good care of her, Setsuna." Haruka smiled as she stood and moved to leave the room. She put her hand on Setsuna's shoulder and looked back one more time at Michiru. Then she left the room. Setsuna quietly closed the door behind her. 

* * * * *

Back in her own room at last, Haruka changed into a pair of warm-ups and a t-shirt. _You're getting soft, Haruka. You should be in there with her,_ a voice in her head nagged. "Oh, shut up," she said aloud, silencing the thought. She stretched out on her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. 

* * * * *

"Haruka, where are you?" Michiru looked around, suddenly feeling very afraid. 

She was in their house--only it no longer looked like their house. It wasn't bright and cheery anymore--it was gloomy and full of cobwebs as if no one had lived there for a long, long time. She ascended the staircase, carefully detouring around the hole in the third stair. 

"Haruka?" she called tentatively. All the doors were shut in the upstairs hallways. 

She tried the knob on Haruka's bedroom door. It was locked. "Where _is_ everyone?" She was thoroughly puzzled, and more than a little frightened. The house was so quiet that her footsteps echoed down the halls. 

The only unlocked door was that of her bedroom. When she opened the door, there were white drop-cloths over everything, as if someone had painted recently. But a fine layer of dust covered the cloths. She walked carefully into the room, avoiding a huge hanging cobweb. She shuddered involuntarily. 

"My room..." 

Over on her bureau, something glinted in the light coming through the fraying curtains and dusty windowpanes. She moved closer to investigate. It was a beautiful hand mirror--it was deep green and gold and had a beautiful symbol embossed in white on the back. It seemed very familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before... 

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move. "Haruka--?" 

As she turned, her eyes grew wide with fear. It wasn't Haruka. The hulking shadow had no features--it was solid darkness. It didn't seem to reflect any light at all--in fact, all the light in the room seemed drawn into the shadow itself. She gasped, her hand losing it's grip on the mirror. It struck the floor and shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. 

The thing laughed. 

Michiru covered her face and screamed. 

Suddenly the whole atmosphere of the room changed. Through her fingers, she could see patches of sunlight on her bedspread. She dropped her hands in confusion, her heart still thudding at a breakneck pace in her chest. 

She looked around her room in confusion. 

"Michiru!" a voice exclaimed from a darkened corner of the room. 

She jumped in terror. But when she looked across the room, she saw someone she recognized. "Setsuna!" 

"You're awake!" 

_I didn't really scream out loud then. It was just a dream,_ Michiru thought with great relief. Her heartbeat had begun to return to a normal speed. 

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Setsuna apologized, standing and coming over to the bed. 

"I-I..." 

"Michiru, how do you feel?" 

"Huh?" It suddenly occurred to her why she was here, in bed in her room with Setsuna sitting in the corner. She had been very sick... 

"I feel much better, thank you," she said, smiling. She looked around again, her face clouding slightly. "Where's Haruka?" 

"I had to practically force her to go take a nap. She was so worried about you that she was awake for nearly seventy-two hours straight." Setsuna sat on the edge of the bed. "Poor thing. You must be starving." 

"I...I am a little hungry," Michiru admitted, wincing as her stomach clenched to remind her that she hadn't eaten any solid food in several days. 

"If you think you're up to it, I'll go get you some food, OK?" 

"Sure." Michiru nodded. "Thanks." 

"Do you...want me to wake Haruka?" Setsuna ventured. 

"No, no--let her sleep," Michiru replied, smiling. "Can't believe she stayed up that long. She'll probably sleep for days now!" 

Setsuna laughed. "Well, OK, but you just rest now. I'll be back in a few minutes and bring you some food." 

Michiru nodded her thanks as Setsuna disappeared out the door. 

* * * * *

Haruka's motorcycle sped up the long driveway to the mansion. Dead brown leaves blew across the pavement in front of her and swirled in the path her tires made on the drive. She looked slightly bewildered as she stopped her bike in front of the house. 

The door was slightly ajar, and several shingles were missing from the roof. A loose shutter banged in the brisk gusting wind. _It looks like no one's been here in ages,_ she thought uneasily. 

"Michiru?" she called. She was straddling her bike, contemplating whether or not to go in the house. The rolling boom of thunder in the distance made up her mind for her. Wheeling her bike alongside her, she entered the open garage. Her feet kicked up thick clouds of dust, and her bike left tire tread marks on the worn concrete floor. 

She shook her head in disgust. 

She went back around to the front of the house and carefully pushed the front door open all the way. It creaked and groaned in protest. She entered the house just as rain began to pour from the sky. 

_Great, now I'm stuck here,_ she thought gloomily. _This place really looks like a dump. I wonder where Michiru is._

She decided to investigate. Nothing but dust in the kitchen. Plates were set out on the dining room table, but Haruka guessed they would need a very thorough washing before anyone ever ate off them again. 

She decided to continue her search upstairs. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for, but maybe she would find it upstairs. 

"Michiru?" She began to mount the creaking steps. She gasped in shock as her foot went right through the third step with a dry splintering sound. "What the hell?" Angry with herself for being so careless and so skittish, she shook off her pants leg to dislodge the clinging splinters. "Stupid," she muttered to herself as she continued her ascent, this time testing each stair before putting her full weight on it. 

She decided to try some of the doors in the dark hallways upstairs. She headed for her room first. Perhaps whatever she was looking for would be in there. 

She noticed that most of the doors were jammed between her room and the staircase. "Odd," she said quietly. She never remembered having locked any of the rooms last time she was here. "Michiru? Are you up here?" Haruka called out. Her voice echoed eerily in the silence. 

The sound made her skin crawl. _Guess I won't do that again,_ she thought. She was relieved to discover that her room was still unlocked. The door creaked open. Haruka jumped as a large cobweb wafted slowly to the ground directly in front of her face. _Oh calm down, already,_ she thought bitterly. _If Michiru could see how scared you are right now, you would never hear the end of it...Where _is_ Michiru, anyway?_

As she moved into her room, she thought she heard a creaking sound coming from downstairs. Heart pounding, she quickly shut and locked her door and, breathing heavily, leaned against the wood. 

_Face it, this is totally creeping you out, Haruka. So much for calm, cool, and collected, right?_

She finally stopped to really look at her room. It was almost unrecognizable. There were dust-laden white drop-cloths over all her furniture. Her closet door hung crookedly and was ajar. Just enough sunlight came through the grime-streaked window to barely illuminate the room. Haruka thought she saw a glint from the top shelf of her closet when the curtains moved in a slight breeze that came through the cracked panes. 

_What the hell...?_ Squinting, she moved closer to the closet. She reached up onto the top shelf and pulled down a... "A _sword_? Where did _this_ come from?" 

The sword was beautiful, gold and shining metal, with colored jewels gleaming along the sharp blade. There was some sort of symbol engraved on the golden handle. It seemed very familiar, but Haruka couldn't place where she'd seen it before... 

Just then, she thought she heard a noise from the hall. "What in the--" She thought she saw her doorknob begin to turn, but she couldn't be sure... _Just an overactive imagination, as usual, Haruka._ She shook her head. "This sword is so beautiful," she thought, turning it this way and that in the dim sunlight coming through the window. 

She turned to face the door sharply. There was that sound again! "OK, who's there?" she called. She was terrified, but she figured she should go find out who it was. _No one else better be in here!_ she thought somewhat indignantly. _Dump or not, this is still my house!_ She gripped the sword and strode over to her door. 

As soon as she stepped into the hall, she heard a shattering sound and a piercing scream come from the other end of the hall. Haruka ran down the hall, the hairs on her neck prickling. She skidded to a halt as a big black...thing...oozed out of the door at the end of the hall. 

_Michiru's room!_ Haruka realized, dread forming a cold, hard knot in her stomach. 

"Michiru!" she cried. She charged the shadow in outrage. "What have you done to her?" she yelled. 

The thing started laughing. It was a deep, rumbling sound. Haruka's blood ran cold. She was totally unprepared for the blow. The thing backhanded her across the hallway. She hit the railing of the stairs, her sword falling from her grasp and clinking to the parlor floor far below. _Funny,_ she thought dazedly. _The floor seems so far down..._ That was her last thought before the thing picked her up and threw her over the railing. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

_Symphony : Part II_

The impact woke Haruka. "Oww!!" She rubbed her head irritably. She must have lurched back in her sleep and hit her head on the headboard of her bed. 

"Where--" She sat up and looked around in confusion. She felt sluggish, like she wasn't fully awake yet. She was back in her room, only the drop cloths were gone now... 

_This is ridiculous,_ she thought, sighing. That was the second time that dream had roused her from a sound sleep. She heard a small noise in the hallway. She turned and stared as her doorknob began to turn slowly... 

The door creaked open and Haruka caught her breath. She let it out in a great sigh as Michiru's head peeked around the corner. 

"God, Michiru--you scared me to death," she groaned. 

Michiru smiled and opened the door the rest of the way. "Sorry. Did I wake you?" 

"No, you di--Hey! You're up!" Haruka exclaimed, the image of Michiru standing beside her bed finally sinking in. 

"I could say the same for you," Michiru replied lightly, smiling. She was still a little pale, but she was dressed normally and she was walking around. 

"What? How long was I asleep?" 

"Almost as long as I was, apparently. You've been sleeping for the past two days." 

"When did you wake up? You were so sick--" 

"I woke up some time yesterday. Setsuna was there, don't worry," she added quickly as Haruka's face fell slightly. 

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," she said quietly. 

"You stayed up with me for three days straight, Haruka. Thank you so much," Michiru replied. She sat on the edge of Haruka's bed. Haruka thought she saw tears in Michiru's eyes, but she couldn't be certain. 

"Are you sure you're well enough to be up walking around?" Haruka asked, changing the subject. 

"I'm fine now. Setsuna even had the doctor come check on me. He said as long as I take it easy I shouldn't relapse." 

"That's great," Haruka replied, leaning her head back to rest it on the headboard. "I was so worried about you--" 

Michiru took Haruka's hand in her own. Haruka stopped talking and looked at her questioningly. 

"Haruka, I had a dream the day I woke up..." 

Haruka's heart started to beat faster, and she had to swallow hard. _Dummy--so what? She had a dream too. Stop. It was just that--a dream. You can stop being scared of it now._ "What was it about?" Haruka asked gently. 

"It was really creepy..." Michiru took a deep breath and retold her dream to Haruka. She began to look worried as the color drained from Haruka's face. 

"I had a dream almost exactly like that!" She told Michiru her dream. Michiru's eyes widened. She was almost ready to cry. "We might have been having the dream at the same time," Haruka mused after she finished her story. "This was the second time it woke me up like that..." 

"This is too weird," Michiru moaned. Haruka squeezed her hand gently. Michiru looked at her, eyes large and frightened. "I wonder what the dreams mean?" 

"I don't know," Haruka admitted. "It's probably just a coincidence, anyway," she added, shrugging. She was trying hard to act as if it didn't bother her. _This is weird as hell,_ she thought uneasily. 

Michiru stared at her. "You're probably right..." she finally admitted. The tension in her features eased somewhat. "It was probably just stress or something." 

Haruka nodded firmly, though inside she was still uncertain. "Sure, that's all." They sat and stared at each other for a few moments. 

"God, Michiru, I was so worried about you," Haruka finally said, her voice breaking. 

Michiru was stunned at the sudden display of emotion. This was totally unlike Haruka. No one ever saw Haruka cry. 

But the tears were there. Not a lot, but enough that her cheeks glistened in the late morning sunlight that poured through her window. Michiru reached out a hand and tenderly brushed the tears away. 

"Oh, Haruka," she whispered, close to tears herself. "You're so sweet." She embraced her, and Haruka hugged her back fiercely. 

After a moment, they parted, and Michiru stood. "Well," she said, sniffing slightly, "I think I'll go now so you can get dressed. Meet you downstairs?" 

Haruka smiled and nodded. "It's a date." 

* * * * *

Setsuna looked up as she heard the footsteps on the stairs. "Haruka!" 

"Setsuna," Haruka nodded in greeting. "Thank you for taking care of Michiru for me. I guess I needed sleep more than I thought..." 

Setsuna laughed lightly. "No problem. It was my pleasure." 

"Where _is_ Michiru, by the way?" 

"I think she went into the parlor. She said something about her violin..." 

"Oh! That's right, I had Hime put it away. She was probably looking for it..." Haruka hurried off to the parlor to aid Michiru. 

She stopped short outside the door. Beautiful music floated through the partially open doors. Haruka recognized it as the duet they had played together at the party. _I guess Michiru found her violin, then,_ she smiled. She quietly slipped inside the room. Michiru, standing with her eyes closed, swaying in time to the music, didn't hear her enter. When the last strains of her song died away, Haruka clapped. 

Michiru opened her eyes in surprise. "Haruka! I didn't know you were in here!" 

"I see you found your violin. I trust Hime put it away properly? I didn't even think to check." 

"Yes, it was fine," Michiru replied, carefully replacing the violin in its case. She paused and ran her fingers gingerly over the wood. 

"You were playing the song we did at the party," Haruka said. She leaned casually against the piano. 

Michiru looked a little troubled. "I messed up..." 

Haruka looked at her quizzically. 

Michiru stopped and looked at Haruka. "At the party. I lost my rhythm. This song was going through my head the whole time I was sick--I felt I just had to come down here and get it right." 

Haruka nodded thoughtfully. "I could see why that would bother you." She took Michiru's arm. "Come on, I think we could both use some fresh air. What do you say we take a walk?" 

Michiru nodded and took Haruka's hand in her own. "Sounds like a date," she said, mimicking Haruka's voice. Haruka laughed. They smiled at one another as they left the parlor. 

Unbeknownst to the two, Setsuna watched them walk down the drive, arm-in-arm, from a foyer window. _I should tell them soon,_ Setsuna thought to herself. _Now that they're both finally well enough. I can't wait too long. The dark presence here is getting stronger._ With that thought, she turned and headed up to her room, closing the door firmly behind her. 

* * * * *

The wind was picking up. The colorful early autumn leaves still clung tenaciously to the branches of the old trees surrounding Haruka and Michiru's estate. 

"It's getting cold," Haruka said. "Soon the leaves will start to fall." 

"I love fall," Michiru replied. "The colors are so beautiful. But the fall is a season of death, you know." 

Haruka stopped, looking at Michiru. "Where did _that_ come from?" she asked. 

"It is," Michiru insisted. "Look, all the leaves are so pretty now because they are dying. All their food is being cut off from the tree, so they aren't green anymore. Soon they will fall to the ground and rot." 

"But new trees will be able to grow because of the good soil the old leaves make," Haruka reasoned. Michiru nodded. 

"But now you see why it's a time of death." 

"I prefer 'autumn', myself," Haruka joked. She resumed walking. Another breeze ruffled her short boy-cut blond hair. 

Michiru shuddered. "Brrrr. It's really getting nippy out here." 

"You didn't think to bring a jacket, did you?" Haruka said. She put her arm around Michiru's shoulders. "Come on. Let's get you back to the house before you get sick again." 

Michiru snuggled against Haruka as they walked. She inhaled deeply. She loved the scent of the cologne Haruka always wore. The smell always made her feel safe and secure. "Why do you like me, Haruka?" she asked suddenly. 

Haruka stopped abruptly. "What kind of question is that?" she asked, giving her a puzzled look. 

"Just answer." 

"Because..." They began walking again. "Well, because you're sweet and kind, and because...well, I just do, I guess..." 

Michiru sighed. 

"That's kind of a tough question to answer, you know," Haruka said, laughing. After a moment she said, "Turnabout's fair play. Why do you like _me_?" 

"Well...because you make me feel special. I feel very safe when I'm with you, like nothing can hurt me," Michiru replied quietly. 

"Wow." Haruka stopped again. "Sounds like you really thought about that one for awhile, huh?" Michiru blushed a little and nodded. "That makes me very happy, Michiru," Haruka said quietly, putting her arms around her. 

They stayed that way for several minutes, just holding one another, while the autumn leaves swirled around them. 

* * * * *

Several days passed uneventfully. Michiru was over her flu, and Mr. Yoshino had stopped by to see how she was. 

"I'm relieved to see that you've recovered, Miss Kaioh. Even though your sickness was very unfortunate, we made quite a sum of money towards the opera house," Mr. Yoshino had said. "I do hope that you and Miss Tenoh will accept my invitation to perform for us there." 

They had agreed to do so, and he left. 

"I still can't believe I messed up like that," Michiru sighed later. She was sitting daintily on the edge of one of the armchairs in the sitting room. She wrung her hands in her lap as if she were nervous. 

"Michiru, it wasn't your fault," Haruka replied, putting down the book she had been reading. "You couldn't do anything about it." 

"But a true professional doesn't let anything stand in their way. I want to be a professional violinist. Just because I was sick was no reason--" 

"Listen to yourself!" Haruka exclaimed, exasperated. "Michiru," she started, more softly this time. "Even professionals mess up from time to time. They just know how to cover so that no one can tell." 

"But--" 

"Michiru, I'm sure no one could tell that you messed up. It wasn't even that major. You didn't play any wrong notes, you just slowed down a little." 

"But I--" 

"Michiru." Haruka was firm. "Please." She moved to crouch next to Michiru's chair. "You did fine. No one could tell, I'm sure." 

Michiru looked uncertain for a moment. "Well...I guess you're right. Mr. Yoshino apparently liked it enough to ask us to perform at the opera house..." 

"There you go," Haruka agreed, squeezing Michiru's hands. "See?" 

"Thank you, Haruka," Michiru said, smiling. "You always know how to make me feel better." 

Haruka just smiled and stood. "Want to practice our duet again?" 

"Sure." Michiru stood and went to get her violin case from the parlor. Haruka watched her leave the room, smiling softly to herself. 

* * * * *

"Well, I thank you both for letting me stay with you," Setsuna said. She set her luggage down on the sidewalk. Haruka leaned against the side of her car. 

"I wish you would stay with us a bit longer, Setsuna," Michiru said, hugging Setsuna. 

"I can't stay with you any longer, though I would like to. I have something I have to go do. But I'll come see you again as soon as I can, all right?" Setsuna smiled. "Please take care of each other." 

Michiru took Haruka's hand. "We will, Setsuna," she said. 

"Don't worry about us," Haruka responded, smiling. "We'll be fine. You take care of yourself." 

Setsuna nodded. Then picked up her suitcase, turned, and headed off for the train station. 

When she was out of sight, Michiru turned to Haruka. "When do you think we'll see her again?" 

Haruka shrugged. "I really don't know..." 

* * * * *

Setsuna glanced over her shoulder. _Good, neither of them can see me now._ She ducked behind a corner of the station and shimmered out of view. 

* * * * *

Later that evening, Haruka and Michiru were sitting in the parlor together when Hime came nto the room. "Doctor Chiyoda is on the phone, Haruka-sama. He would like to speak with you." Haruka nodded and stood. "I'll be right back," she said to Michiru. 

Michiru nodded and continued reading her book without looking up. 

"Yes?" Haruka said into the phone. 

"Miss Tenoh. I just wanted to check up on you two. Is Miss Kaioh all right?" 

"Yes, she's much better now. She's made a complete recovery as far as I can tell." 

"Good. I just wanted to warn you to look out for yourself as well. If you start getting any of the symptoms Miss Kaioh had, I want you to go straight to bed and rest. No racing, got it?" 

Haruka smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I understand." 

"I mean it. If you get sick, it could hit you as quickly as it did Miss Kaioh, and if you're in the middle of a race, you could be very badly injured if you blacked out." 

_That's an understatement,_ Haruka thought bleakly. "I understand, Dr. Chiyoda." 

"All right. Take care." 

"You too. Goodbye." 

Haruka shook her head as she hung up the phone. 

* * * * *

Haruka was falling. 

She sat bolt upright in bed, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body. Her breathing was ragged and irregular. She had been plagued by her recurring nightmare for almost a week now. She sighed as she realized where she was. 

_This is getting really old,_ she thought irritably, laying back down and folding her arms under her head. She was just lying there, staring at the ceiling, when she heard a light, timid knock on her door. 

"It's open," she replied, not moving. 

"Haruka...?" Michiru peeked around the corner of the door. "Did I wake you up?" 

"No, I'm awake, Michiru." 

"Can...can I come in?" 

"Sure." 

Michiru stepped into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. "I had that dream again," she said, her voice quivering. 

Haruka propped herself up on her elbows. "Me too," she said quietly. 

Michiru was standing, arms folded across her chest, head bowed. They were both silent for a few moments. 

"Haruka...can I...stay in here for the night?" Michiru suddenly asked in a rush. She kept her head down. "I really don't think I can be by myself right now..." 

Haruka smiled in sympathy. "Sure, Michiru. That's fine. Come on," she replied gently. She moved over on the bed. 

Michiru came and lay down next to her, sighing contentedly. 

Haruka put her arms around her. 

Michiru smiled to herself. She could detect the lingering scent of Haruka's cologne. Her fear slowly melted away. 

Haruka hated to admit it, but the dream had scared her pretty badly. She was quite relieved that Michiru wanted to stay. Lying there, holding her close, she felt safer already. 

They stayed that way for the rest of the night. 


	3. Default Chapter Title

_Symphony : Part III_

"Haruka...?" Michiru rolled over onto her other side to face Haruka, who was still sleeping. She reached out and touched Haruka's cheek tenderly, smiling to herself. 

_She looks so peaceful,_ she thought happily. 

Haruka stirred. 

"Michiru," she said, smiling. "You're awake. How long have you been up?" 

Michiru propped herself up on one elbow. "I don't know," she said, smiling. "I was just watching you sleep." 

"Oh," Haruka replied, sitting up and rubbing her sea-gray eyes. "What time is it?" 

"About eight, I think," Michiru replied. "We don't have to get up right now..." she added, winking slyly. 

Haruka smiled down at her and chuckled softly. "No, I guess we don't." 

She lay back down again. Michiru snuggled up next to her, laying her head on Haruka's shoulder. 

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Michiru asked, taking Haruka's hand. 

"I have a race this afternoon," Haruka replied. "If you're feeling up to it, I would like you to be there to cheer me on." 

"Of course, Haruka. You know I never miss one of your races," Michiru replied, smiling. She squeezed Haruka's hand in her own. "After all, that's where I first met you, isn't it...?" 

Haruka nodded, smiling. "Yes, I guess that's right," she said softly. She had met Michiru through a mutual friend and fellow competitor, Elza Gray. Haruka and Elza were just passing acquaintances, really, and competed in track at their school. Haruka won their first race, and Elza was so impressed with her that she decided to bring Michiru to one of Haruka's motorcycle races to introduce the two. Haruka and Michiru had become fast friends, and gradually their relationship began to blossom into something more. 

Now they were inseparable. Though Haruka often flirted with other girls, she was never serious. Michiru always indulged her, and was pretty much used to the fact that people always thought Haruka was a man. Neither seemed to mind all that much, and it actually made the relationship a little smoother. Michiru would notice somewhat smugly that other young girls would look on enviously whenever she and Haruka passed, arm in arm. 

"Haruka?" Michiru asked after a few minutes of silence. 

"Hmm?" Haruka replied, her eyes closed. 

"I hope you win," Michiru whispered. 

Haruka laughed softly. "Thanks, Michiru." 

* * * * *

Later that day, at the racetrack, Haruka and Michiru sat side by side waiting for Haruka's turn to race. "I should be in the next heat," Haruka said, watching the other racers with a keen eye. 

Michiru nodded. "Haruka, are you feeling OK? You look a little flushed. I hope you're not coming down with anything." 

"I'm fine," Haruka said with a dismissive wave. "Just excited, I guess. Looks like that guy will be my main competition," she added, nodding in the direction of a tough-looking man leaning against a wall near his bike. He was smoking a cigarette. 

Michiru made a face as he spat and threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stamping it out with his foot. He cast a challenging glare in Haruka's direction. 

Haruka stared right back, never wavering. The man finally looked away. 

"Thinks he's so tough," Haruka said contemptuously. "I'll show him." 

When it was Haruka's turn to race, Michiru followed her out to the starting line. "Be careful, Haruka," she said, handing her her helmet. 

Haruka nodded, a look of determination on her face. Her features softened as Michiru stood up on tiptoe to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

"For luck," Michiru said, winking. 

"Hey, cutie, why don't you save that for a _real_ man?" the gruff man called out. "I can whip his ass any day. Whatta ya say?" 

Michiru sniffed contemptuously. "Don't hold your breath." 

Haruka glared at the man. She looked as if she wanted to slug him, her barely-restrained rage showing in the way her hand was clenched at her side. 

Michiru put a restraining hand on her arm. "Haruka--don't." 

"Come on, sugar, what do you say? You an' me get together after I wipe him all over the pavement during this race?" the man continued, eyes glinting in sadistic amusement at the cold fury in Haruka's look. "What's the matter, boy? You wanna fight?" 

"Don't tempt me," Haruka said dangerously. 

"Haruka--stop. He's not worth it," Michiru pleaded. 

"Please clear the starting line," a voice over the loudspeaker announced. 

Haruka turned away from the man after one final glare, putting him out of her mind. She put her hand on Michiru's cheek. "I'll win," she said confidently. Michiru backed away slowly, smiling. Haruka smiled after her as she retreated to the sidelines. She waved at Haruka. 

Haruka shook her head, smiling, and pulled on her helmet. She was all business again as soon as the face shield was in place. 

"Start your engines!" 

Her bike roared to life. The gruff man flashed her a smug look. He gazed pointedly at Michiru as if to say, 'You watch. I'll take her away from you the second you're not looking.' 

"Dream on," Haruka muttered. As soon as the lights were green, she took off like a shot. 

This was the final heat of the race. The winners of the other five heats were competing for the title of champion. Michiru, standing on the sidelines, could see that clearly the race was going to be between Haruka and the very unpleasant man, whose name, she soon discovered from one of the race officials, was Kasigata Omi. The other racers were slowly falling behind Haruka and Omi. Soon the two were almost a complete lap ahead of the others. Michiru looked on in concern as Omi began to slowly creep up on Haruka's lead. 

Haruka gritted her teeth. There was no way in hell she was going to give that guy the satisfaction of winning. She knew Michiru would never leave her for someone like..._that_, but the fury she felt at the way he treated Michiru was almost too much for her to control. _If I weren't worried about being disqualified from the race, I would kill that bastard and wipe _him_ all over the pavement,_ she thought darkly. She could almost _feel_ him coming up behind her, so she swerved to block him. 

She gasped as her vision suddenly doubled. Her bike teetered dangerously as she lowered it into a tight curve. Suddenly Michiru's voice and the doctor's warning came back to her. _"Haruka, are you feeling OK? You look a little flushed. I hope you're not coming down with anything..."_ _"If you get sick, it could hit you as quickly as it did Miss Kaioh, and if you're in the middle of a race, you could be very badly injured if you blacked out..."_ Haruka shook her head to clear it. 

I'm not sick, she protested. But her vision blurred again. She struggled to keep her bike steady. The man behind her was gaining very quickly now. 

_Come on, Haruka, only one more lap to go..._ She was sweating profusely now, and she felt feverish. "Come on, you can make it," she muttered under her breath. She could see the finish line ahead. She managed to block the other man from passing, she thought she heard him curse at her, but the rushing wind carried the sound away. 

She felt a momentary surge of elation as she streaked over the finish line, several feet ahead of the other man. A roaring cheer went up from the crowd. Haruka let her bike roll to a stop. She pulled off her racing helmet and ran a hand through her hair as Michiru ran up to congratulate her. 

"Haruka! You did great! I--Haruka? Are you all right?" Michiru's tone suddenly changed from excitement to worry. 

"I'm fine, Michiru," Haruka said, leaning against her bike. "I just--think I need to rest for a minute..." 

Michiru got a scared look on her face. 

"It's OK, really. Just a little lightheadedness. It'll pass in a few minutes. I just got too excited." 

Michiru looked doubtful. "Even so," she said, "I think we should get you home as soon as possible." 

Haruka nodded. "We have to stay for the ceremony, though," she reminded her. "I won, so they'll kind of expect me to be there to accept my trophy." She smiled at Michiru. 

"Are you sure you're all right?" 

"I'm fine. I feel better already," Haruka said reassuringly. "I just have to take a rest when we get home." 

Haruka was awarded her trophy and she stayed for a few minutes to answer questions, and she held up her trophy triumphantly, plastering a smile on her face for the ravenous photographers that frequented such sporting events. Then she declined further invitations for interviews and such and apologized for having to leave so soon. 

As she and Michiru wheeled her bike away from the track, their way was barred suddenly by Omi. 

"Leavin' so soon, punk?" he asked, shoving Haruka. She was barely able to keep her balance. 

"Stop it!" Michiru demanded, grabbing Haruka's arm to steady her. She moved to stand between Haruka and Omi. 

"Oh, come on, doll, you're still not _stayin'_ with this loser, are you?" 

Michiru arched her eyebrow. She knew she shouldn't provoke him, but she couldn't help saying, "Haruka _won_, remember? The only loser I see here is _you_." 

Omi's eyes narrowed to slits. "Got some mouth on you, babe. You'll regret you said that." He lunged for Michiru, grabbing her wrist. Michiru cried out in pain. 

Haruka dove at him, yelling in rage. "_Leave...her...alone!!_" she shouted, each word punctuated with a savage punch to Omi's head and stomach. He fell to his knees, wheezing. 

"Don't you _ever_ touch her again, got it?" Haruka demanded, breathing heavily herself. 

Omi stood and glared at her, wiping blood from his mouth. "Why you little--" 

Haruka wasted no words. She dropped him with a roundhouse kick to the temple. He hit the ground with a heavy thud. Haruka almost fell herself. Michiru caught her. 

"Are you all right, Michiru?" Haruka asked when she got her breath back. She inspected Michiru's wrist. It was a bit red, but it didn't look like it was injured seriously. 

"It's--I'm fine, Haruka. He only startled me," Michiru responded. "Here, you can lean on my shoulders." 

Haruka put her arm around Michiru's shoulders for support. "Come on, we better get out of here before the doughboy wakes up again," she said spitefully, glaring in contempt at the still form on the grass. 

* * * * *

Upon arriving at the house, Michiru made Haruka go to bed immediately. She called the doctor. 

About an hour later, Dr. Chiyoda emerged from Haruka's room. "She's lucky," he said. "It's not the flu, it was just a little virus. She'll be fine in the morning." Michiru thanked him as he left. 

She went back to Haruka's room. "Haruka?" she asked softly, peering around the corner of the door, not wanting to wake her. 

Haruka lifted her head from the pillows. "Hey, Michiru, come on in." 

Michiru sat on the edge of the bed. "Wow, am I having a really strong sense of déjà vu," Haruka joked. 

Michiru giggled. "Are you feeling better?" she asked a moment later, growing serious again. 

"Yeah. The doctor sure chewed me out for racing when I wasn't feeling one hundred percent, though," she said, grimacing. "See if I ever do _that_ again!" 

"Well, I'm sure having to fight off a hulking egotistical maniac didn't help you much, either," Michiru grinned. "By the way, I--thank you, Haruka." 

Haruka shook her head in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. Do you think I'd ever let anyone treat you like that?" 

"That's what I love about you," Michiru grinned, taking Haruka's hand. 

Haruka smiled. "Well, doctor's orders are I have to take a nap," she said after a moment. 

Michiru smiled slyly. "Mind if I join you?" she asked. 

"Now how could I say no to a beautiful girl like you?" Haruka said in mock seriousness. "You *are* my good luck charm, after all...Wouldn't do to go pissing you off, now would it?" 

"No, that wouldn't do at all," Michiru replied, giggling. She lay down next to Haruka. "'Night," she mumbled a few minutes later, already half-asleep. 

"'Night, Michiru." 

They both slept. 

* * * * *

Haruka was outside her house again. It was gray and vacant. She sighed inwardly. _I thought you weren't supposed to be able to _tell_ you're having a dream,_ she thought. _Talk about déjà vu. This is only, what, the twelfth time or something?_

She didn't even bother putting her bike in the garage this time. She just let it fall to the ground, and didn't look back as she entered the house. 

The second she was inside, she gasped in shock. "Michiru!" _This is new,_ she thought. 

"Haruka!" Michiru ran and embraced her, trembling. 

"OK, so now we're sharing dreams," Haruka joked. "Can't we keep _anything_ personal for ourselves?" 

Michiru didn't respond, she merely clung to Haruka as if she were drowning. They both jumped as the wind banged the door shut behind them. 

"Why is this happening?" Michiru asked in a small voice. "Haruka, I'm scared." 

"Shh, it's only a dream, remember?" Haruka replied, giving Michiru a reassuring squeeze. 

Michiru nodded. 

"Well, I guess we should go upstairs," Haruka said after a moment. 

"Why do we have to? If we don't go up there, that thing might not even know we're here! We can take your bike and leave!" Michiru was starting to sound desperate, tugging on Haruka's sleeve like a child. 

"Michiru, this is our house. I'm not going to run away from anything here. Besides," she reasoned, taking Michiru's hand and heading for the stairs, "the sword is upstairs. I want to get that." 

"The mirror is up there, too..." Michiru added, reluctantly following her up the staircase. 

"Fine. We'll go to my room--together--and get the sword first. That way we'll have some kind of weapon if that shadow thing is there again," Haruka said confidently. _Yeah, like that really helped all those other times,_ she thought bleakly, but she decided not to share her thought. The truth was, she really didn't want to go upstairs either, but she sensed that there was something up there...calling to her...drawing her up the creaking staircase... She shook her head to clear it. 

"Then we can both go to my room and get the mirror," Michiru was saying. Haruka nodded. 

They both slowed instinctively at the top of the stairs. Haruka peered into the gloom of the dimly lit hall, searching for any signs of movement. Her pulse was starting to accelerate, the way it did when she was racing. _Figures the electricity doesn't work in this stupid dream,_ she thought bitterly. 

"OK, I don't see anything. Let's go--quick!" Haruka whispered. She and Michiru headed for Haruka's room at one end of the hall. 

They reached to door but when Haruka tried to turn the knob... "Locked!" she gasped in shock. Never in any of her dreams before had her room been locked. "What in the--" She pushed against the door while trying to turn the knob. "Wait--I think it might be jammed...The knob is turning a little..." Taking a few steps back, she shoved her whole weight against the door with her shoulder. The door shuddered under the impact, and they heard something fall on the other side of the wood. 

Haruka tried the door again. The knob turned with ease. 

When they opened the door, it hit something. Haruka peeked around the corner to see a chair. 

"Someone propped my door shut with a chair?" she asked in shock. "But--" 

"How did they get back out?" Michiru asked quietly. "Haruka, they might still be in there! Come on, let's get out of here!" Michiru was pale. 

"No, I don't think anyone's in here. Just wait there if you don't want to come in," Haruka replied, stepping over the overturned chair and striding to her closet. 

The sword wasn't there. _Oh, this is nice,_ she thought. She stood on tiptoe and felt along the shelf. _Wait! I think I felt something--_ She had to jump a little, but her fingertips finally caught hold of the hilt of the sword. 

She always felt a strange power coursing through her body and singing along her nerves whenever she touched the sword. She felt the same feeling now. It gave her a small measure of confidence. _Let's see you knock this out of my hands _this_ time, creep,_ she thought, smirking. 

"Haruka? Did you find it?" Michiru asked quietly from the hall door. 

"Yeah." Haruka headed out of the room, casting one final bewildered glance at the chair. Then she shut her door and took Michiru's hand and led her down the hall. 

Michiru's door was similarly blockaded, but with a night table instead of a chair. It was fairly easy for Haruka to push it out of the way so she could open the door enough to squeeze by. She moved the night table and let Michiru into the room. 

"OK, grab your mirror and let's book it," Haruka said. "I'll stand watch." 

Michiru nodded and headed over for the dresser. She stopped short a few feet away. 

"Haruka, it's not there," she said quietly, fear turning into a cold knot in her stomach. 

"I couldn't find my sword at first either," Haruka said, coming over to join Michiru. "Here, check the drawers..." 

They rummaged around for a few moments until they found the mirror tucked under some papers in the top drawer. 

Michiru sighed with relief as she picked up the mirror. 

"OK, let's go," Haruka said, turning. She let out a strangled little gasp. 

"What is it?" Michiru asked, turning. She screamed. The shadow-thing was looming in the doorway. 

"Going somewhere?" it rumbled ominously. Then it started to laugh again. 

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "Stay back, Michiru!" she yelled, lunging for the monster, sword held high to strike. She was suddenly thrown back, almost as if she'd hit some sort of wall, as a figure materialized in front of her. 

She gaped in astonishment as a long-haired woman with a staff appeared. Her features were indistinct and hazy, as if Haruka were watching a TV with bad reception. 

The woman waved her staff and yelled something and the shadow-being disappeared, howling in rage. 

The woman turned to Haruka, who looked uncertainly at Michiru. The woman bowed once and disappeared. 

Haruka and Michiru woke up. 


	4. Default Chapter Title

_Symphony : Part IV_

"OK, there has to be some kind of explanation for this," Haruka mused, sipping her tea. She and Michiru were sitting at the dining room table. 

Michiru rubbed her forehead with one hand. The other was wrapped around her own teacup. "I would really rather not think about it, Haruka," she said quietly. 

"Well, we have to figure out what's going on, don't we?" Haruka said somewhat irritably, running a hand through her disheveled blonde hair. They had been discussing their disturbing shared dream for the last half-hour. 

"No, we don't!" Michiru said suddenly, her temper flaring. She stood and turned her back on Haruka, her chair thudding against the wall as she pushed it away. "We can just forget it. It'll go away if we just forget about this whole mess." 

"Michiru, you don't really believe that, do you?" Haruka asked, trying to control her own anger. It wouldn't get them anywhere if they were both pissed off at each other. 

"What if I do?" Michiru replied hotly, whipping around to face Haruka again. "This is probably only a problem because we're _making_ it one." 

"Then please explain for me, if you would, how we _both_ had the same dreams." 

Michiru faltered. "I don't know," she replied finally. Her voice had an edge of annoyance to it. "Maybe we're just spending too much time together. Maybe we should get away from one another for awhile." 

Haruka recoiled as if Michiru had physically slapped her. Michiru could tell that she was stung. She felt an uncomfortable flash of sorrow and immediately regretted her harsh words. Haruka stared at her in disbelief. 

"Michiru--if..." she took a deep breath and rose up out of her seat, her features hardening. "Well, I'm sorry if that's the way you feel about it. If you think we should stay away from each other, then I guess we stay away from each other," Haruka said tightly, turning to leave the room. 

"Haruka! Wait! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean that," Michiru pleaded, grabbing Haruka's hand in her own to keep her in the room. 

Haruka paused for a moment at the door. "I'm going out for a ride," she said stiffly, freeing her hand from Michiru's. "I have to think. I'll be back later." With that, she strode from the room. 

Michiru stood for a moment, head down, tears welling up in her eyes. "Haruka...I'm sorry..." she whispered, her voice breaking. When she heard the door slam and Haruka's motorcycle roar to life out front, she lost all composure and sank to her knees and began to sob. 

* * * * *

Haruka's bike roared down the road, leaving a flurry of fallen leaves in her wake. Her face was hard and angry behind the face-shield of her racing helmet. She knew she shouldn't have left Michiru like that, but she had just needed to get away from everything for awhile so she could think. 

'I always do my best thinking on my bike,' Haruka had told Michiru once. When she remembered how Michiru had laughed, that beautiful, melodious sound, Haruka felt a stab of pain in her heart. She shook her head as if to clear the sound from her mind. 

_You know it's not Michiru's fault,_ Haruka chided herself. _But she really struck a nerve on that one. You were secretly thinking the same thing--that you two needed to get away from each other--weren't you, Haruka?_ "No!" Haruka said aloud, brow furrowed. _I never thought that..._

But deep inside, she knew that the thought had crossed her mind. But her love for Michiru had kept her from saying anything. _I couldn't just abandon Michiru like that..._ Haruka thought, not noticing that her speed was gradually increasing. 

_But I just did, didn't I? I left her back there, and I was so gruff with her that she probably thinks I hate her now. She's probably back there crying..._ Haruka's features softened. She knew that she had to return and apologize to Michiru. She knew that Michiru would never have said something like that under normal circumstances. But circumstances were far from normal... She guided her bike onto a narrow, one-lane side road bordered by leafy trees on both sides. 

Suddenly a hazy figure appeared up ahead on the road. Haruka gasped in shock. She slammed on the brakes, her tires squealing and leaving streaks of black rubber on the pavement. _I won't be able to stop in time,_ she thought, cold terror gripping her like a vice. The figure loomed ever closer. 

Haruka fought to control her bike. Finally, she was able to whip it around into a sideways skid that brought her to a halt a few mere feet from the figure. 

"What the hell do you think you were doing?!" Haruka yelled, pulling her helmet off. "I could have killed you, you know!" 

She stopped short. "You!" It was the woman from her dream! The woman was just standing there, smiling slightly. Her long dark green hair stirred in the light breeze, her short black skirt swishing about her legs. 

Haruka stared at the woman in disbelief. She was wearing some kind of uniform consisting of a white bodice, black skirt, and a sailor-style collar. There was a dark red bow at the base of the collar. She was wearing knee-high black boots and was casually leaning on a large silver staff with a red jewel at the top. A golden tiara on her forehead shined in the autumn sunlight. 

"Haruka," the woman said, nodding a greeting. 

"Wh-who are you?" Haruka asked, wary now. _Why does this woman look so familiar? I know I saw her in my dream, but..._

"You should go back to Michiru," the woman said. Then she vanished. 

* * * * *

Michiru was lying facedown on her bed, her chin propped on her folded arms. She stared blankly at the wall. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She sighed and rolled over onto her back, hugging a small stuffed dolphin to her chest. _Haruka won this for me at a carnival..._ she thought idly. This brought a fresh pang of sorrow, and the tears threatened start again, but she blinked them back. 

_Why did I have to be so stupid?_ she thought angrily, swiping her hand savagely across her cheeks to dry them. _I shouldn't have said anything. Haruka was only trying to help. I just wish..._ Michiru sighed. She pushed the dolphin aside and sat up. "I'm going for a walk," she said aloud. _Maybe I'll meet Haruka on her way back and I can apologize..._

She sat at her vanity and began to brush her hair. _Oh, don't I look lovely,_ she thought sarcastically, scowling at her reflection. _I look like...well, like I've been crying my eyes out._ She shook her head. "Oh, I don't care." She stood and dropped her brush back onto the table. 

She cast one more quick glance around the room and closed the door behind her. 

* * * * *

The fresh air did Michiru some good. By the time she got back to the house, she was much more clear-headed. She had done some serious thinking. _I hope Haruka gets back soon,_ she thought, glancing in the garage and noticing that the bike was still gone. _I really need to talk to her._

She sat on the front stoop and propped her elbows on her knees. Suddenly, she thought she saw movement farther down the driveway. _I wonder what that is?_ she thought. _Our house is so far back from the road, most people have trouble finding it. I wonder if someone's lost?_ She stood and began to walk down the driveway. 

"Is someone there?" she called, pulling her sweater a little tighter around her shoulders. "Hello?" 

She saw the movement again. "Haruka? Is that you?" 

_It couldn't be Haruka, stupid,_ she thought to herself in irritation. _She took her bike, remember?_

As she turned a slight bend in the drive, she drew in her breath sharply, putting a hand to her mouth. 

"You-you're from my dream!" she gasped. 

The tall, green-haired woman nodded solemnly, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Michiru," she said in greeting. 

Just then, the sound of Haruka's bike split the chill autumn air. The mysterious woman turned to watch the driveway entrance. The sound of the engine got louder, and, finally, Haruka appeared, hunched behind the windscreen of the bike. She straightened up as she turned the corner and entered the driveway. She stopped her bike a few feet from Michiru and the woman. 

She didn't bother making sure the bike stayed upright--she merely let it drop. She pulled off her helmet and dropped it to the pavement. 

She moved to stand protectively between Michiru and the woman. 

"Michiru, are you OK?" she asked over her shoulder, eyeing the woman somewhat distrustfully. 

Michiru nodded, hand still at her mouth, eyes wide. 

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Haruka demanded of the woman. 

The woman laughed quietly. _That laughter sounds familiar,_ Haruka thought. 

"Haruka, you're still as protective as ever," the woman said, smiling. "It's really very sweet." 

Michiru took a step closer to Haruka. 

The woman bowed slightly to the two girls. "I am SailorPluto," she said. "I am the Guardian of the Gates of Time, and the keeper of one of the three Talismans, the Garnet Orb. I have been sent here by Neo-Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon Kingdom." 

Haruka and Michiru exchanged bewildered glances. Haruka was still tensed to attack the stranger if necessary. 

"Haruka, you can calm down. I'm not going to hurt either of you," SailorPluto said. "I've come to help you fulfill your destiny." 

"Our...destiny?" Haruka said, arching her eyebrow. She did appear to relax a bit, however. Michiru remained silent beside her, but was now clinging to Haruka's arm, half-hidden behind her. 

"Yes. You are both destined to be Sailor Senshi, protectors of the Silver Millennium. I sensed this in you the first time I met you." 

"What?!" Haruka's mouth dropped open. Michiru's grip tightened on her arm, now a painful pressure. Her fingers were digging into Haruka's arm, but neither seemed to notice. 

SailorPluto suddenly began to float a few feet off the ground, holding her staff straight out at shoulder level in her gloved hands. She waved her arms, sweeping the staff so it was again upright. Suddenly a pale white light surrounded her. Michiru and Haruka both gasped as they saw the woman dressed in regular clothing. 

"Setsuna!" 

SailorPluto nodded. The white light slowly faded to nothingness, returning her to her Senshi uniform. 

"But..." Michiru sounded bewildered. "I don't understand. Setsuna, how did you get here?" 

"Neo-Queen Serenity, ruler of Crystal Tokyo and the Silver Millennium, sent me to find the other missing Outer Senshi. Haruka, you are SailorUranus. Michiru, you are SailorNeptune." Pluto waved her Time Staff again. Two strange pens appeared in the air--one in front of Michiru, and one in front of Haruka. 

"Take them," Pluto urged. 

Haruka and Michiru exchanged wary glances and Michiru slowly let go of Haruka's arm. They stared, transfixed, as the pens began to glow with a strange light. 

Haruka took a deep breath and reached out for her pen. Michiru did the same. 

* * * * *

"Wha--?" Haruka looked at her hands in astonishment. She was surrounded by a strange golden aura. 

She heard a similar exclamation from Michiru, and glanced over to see that she, too, was surrounded, but by a shimmering aqua light. 

When their transformations were complete, they stared at each other in disbelief. 

They were now wearing uniforms somewhat like Pluto's. Haruka was dressed in dark blue and gold, with short blue boots. She had a tiara with a dark blue stone, and was wearing one gold hoop earring. A blue choker circled her neck. 

Michiru was wearing dark aquamarine and blue. She had on aquamarine high-heeled shoes with ribbons that wrapped up and around her ankles, and a choker of a similar color around her neck. Her tiara had an aqua stone in it. They both wore white gloves that went up to their mid-forearms. 

Michiru was speechless. Haruka looked at down at her uniform. "Huh. A _skirt_." She looked up at Pluto. "Are these uniforms negotiable?" she asked, arching her eyebrow. Pluto laughed and shook her head. "Damn. Now I have to--what, fight crime?--in a _skirt_." 

"I won't do this." 

SailorUranus and SailorPluto both turned to look at SailorNeptune. She was standing with her arms crossed defiantly in front of her. 

"What do you mean, Michiru?" Uranus asked. 

"No one asked me if I wanted to be some kind of crime fighter. I don't want to do this." 

SailorPluto narrowed her eyes in worry. _No one's ever flat-out refused to follow their destiny before,_ she thought. 

Uranus threw a concerned glance at Pluto, who shook her head. 

"Michiru--Come on. What's wrong?" 

"Look, Haruka," Michiru started, turning away so Uranus only had a profile view of her. "You may be able to just accept what she says. You're all gung-ho for adventure and stuff. I'm not like you. I just can't accept that I'm destined to be a crime fighter or whatever these Outer Senshi do." 

"SailorNeptune--" SailorPluto started gently. 

Michiru rounded on her. "Don't call me that! I'm not SailorNeptune, I'm Kaioh Michiru!" Her eyes started to fill with tears. "I don't want to be a Senshi--I want to be a violinist! I'm not going to throw away my life's dream because you say my 'destiny' is something else!" 

She choked back a sob and turned away, tears blurring her vision. She didn't want them to see her cry. She squinted her eyes shut, but tears still trickled down her face. 

She jumped a little when she felt someone's arms go around her shoulders. She still had her eyes closed, but she could smell the comforting, familiar scent of Haruka's cologne. 

"Michiru, I know how you feel. I'm nervous about this too. You know me well enough to see that, I'm sure," Haruka said quietly. 

Michiru nodded. She turned to face Haruka and offered a small smile. Haruka tenderly brushed the tears from her face. "I know, Haruka. I just...I don't know if this is a good idea. I know how you are about adventure, but I...I'm not like that. I can't just throw myself into something that I'm not sure of." 

Haruka nodded in understanding. She took Michiru's hands in her own. "I just have this feeling, Michiru. This just...somehow feels...right, I guess. You know how I've always wanted to be a professional racer. I know you want to be a violinist. And those are good things, but for some reason this--" 

"This feels like the right thing to do," Michiru finished for her, sighing. She dropped her gaze. "I know. I guess...I guess I'm just afraid..." 

"So am I, Michiru. But I'll always be with you. I'll protect you," Haruka said seriously, tilting Michiru's face up to meet hers. She kissed her gently. 

Michiru smiled. "No," she said, putting a hand on Haruka's cheek. "We'll protect each other." 

"So, what do you think...SailorNeptune?" Haruka asked, smiling. "Wanna give this Senshi thing a try?" 

"Let's go for it, SailorUranus," Michiru replied. She gave Haruka a quick hug, which Haruka returned. Then they both turned to face their destiny together. 


	5. Default Chapter Title

_Symphony : Part V_

"Well, I guess you've found your missing Senshi, Setsuna," SailorUranus said, grinning. 

Pluto smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. I understand how difficult a decision that was for you. Being a Senshi is a lot of responsibility, but I know you can handle it." 

Neptune and Uranus exchanged a solemn look and nodded. 

"You are holders of the other two Talismans. They are hidden in your heart crystals. I need to retrieve them. I'm sorry, but this may hurt a bit," Pluto added. Uranus took Neptune's hand. They both nodded their consent to Setsuna. 

Pluto put her head back and closed her eyes. She held her staff out in front of her. The staff slowly began to disappear, leaving only the red jeweled top floating in the air. "The Garnet Orb will help me retrieve your Talismans," Pluto said, not opening her eyes. Suddenly, a beam of red light shot out of the Garnet Orb directly into the hearts of the other two Senshi. 

They both cried out in pain as the Orb's power began to dislodge the Talismans from their heart crystals. 

SailorNeptune clutched SailorUranus' hand, but kept herself from crying out again. The pain soon diminished to a dull ache as a brilliant flash of aqua light shone from her chest and a floating orb of aqua energy appeared in front of her. 

SailorUranus gritted her teeth and gave SailorNeptune's hand a small, reassuring squeeze. She was surprised when the stabbing pain she felt soon dissipated into an achy sensation as a golden light flashed from her chest. She closed her eyes against the glow. When she opened her eyes, there was a small floating sphere of golden energy suspended in the air in front of her. 

SailorPluto opened her eyes and, still holding the Garnet Orb, began to concentrate on making the released energy solidify into the other two Talismans. 

_I'm sorry I had to do that,_ she thought. They had borne up well under the painful retrieval process, though. 

"SailorUranus, you're first," Pluto said. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. Uranus watched in awe as the golden orb began to change shape in front of her eyes. Neptune released her hand, and Uranus held her hands up under the glowing light. Slowly, the form began to solidify... 

The golden glow slowly faded to reveal the second Talisman. "The sword from my dream!" Uranus gasped. 

"This is the Space Sword, your main weapon and the Talisman that was hidden in your heart crystal. That symbol carved on the handle--that is the symbol of your guardian planet, the planet Uranus," Pluto said. 

Uranus turned the sword over in the late autumn afternoon sunlight. The jewels set on the blade glistened as if they held some strange power. Neptune ran her fingers lightly over the jeweled blade. "Wow, Haruka," she said quietly. "It's just like the one in the dream..." 

"OK, SailorNeptune, it's your turn." 

SailorNeptune placed her hands out, palms up, under the aqua sphere of light. It slowly began to take on the shape of... 

"The mirror!" The iridescent aqua light slowly faded from the third Talisman. 

"The Aqua Mirror is your Talisman. The symbol on the back is that of _your_ guardian planet, the planet Neptune." 

Michiru turned the mirror over in her hands. "How beautiful!" she breathed. "Don't you think so, Haruka?" 

"Beautiful," she agreed, smiling. Neptune glanced up. Uranus wasn't looking at the Talisman. 

"I'm talking about the mirror, Haruka," Neptune giggled. 

"And I'm talking about you," Uranus replied, still smiling quietly. 

SailorNeptune blushed. "Thank you," she said quietly to Uranus. 

"I know you two have been having strange dreams for the past week or so," Pluto said, reluctant to end the moment for her two friends, but feeling that it was imperative that she finish her assignment. 

They both looked up at her. "Yes, you were in the last one," Uranus said. "There was also--" 

"The shadow-being," Pluto finished. "I know. The shadow being is a very dangerous enemy. He found out that you two were destined to become Senshi when I did. I don't know how, but somehow he figured it out. Neo-Queen Serenity used her powers and the Silver Crystal to give you dreams about your Talismans to prepare you to actually receive them. The shadow is somehow ended up finding a way into your dreams as well. Neo-Queen Serenity gave me permission to enter the dream-world and stop his interference." 

"So he was trying to scare us away from our destiny?" SailorNeptune asked. 

"He was trying to keep us away from our Talismans," SailorUranus added. "That was why the doors of our rooms were jammed shut and the Talismans were hidden. He didn't want us getting to them." 

Pluto nodded solemnly. "He knew that you would be far more powerful if you ever received your Talismans. Unfortunately, since I entered the dream-world and banished him from there, he has now returned to the real world." Pluto hesitated a moment, slightly uncomfortable. 

"So now he's on his way here," SailorUranus guessed. 

Pluto nodded. 

SailorNeptune sighed. "Marvelous." 

"Sucks, huh?" SailorUranus agreed. 

Pluto nodded. "You must be prepared. The shadow-being could appear at any time. I'm sorry to be rushing you, but I need to finish telling you what you need to know. I have no doubt that we will be facing the shadow-being within the hour." 

Neptune and Uranus exchanged a somewhat worried glance. 

"You were both Senshi in the past, long ago during the rule of Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium--" 

Suddenly an ominous cloud of darkness covered the sky. Thunder rolled in the distance. 

"That's a pretty damn short hour, Setsuna," SailorUranus muttered. 

"He is here," SailorPluto warned, gripping her Time Staff in front of her, senses alert. If she heard SailorUranus' remark, she chose not to respond. 

"How are we supposed to use our Talismans?" Neptune whispered to Uranus. 

Uranus shrugged, brow furrowed, eyes scanning restlessly. "If we were Senshi in a former life or something, maybe everything will come back to us. I trust Setsuna." 

"If everything is going to come back, it better hurry it's ass up," Neptune grunted. 

Uranus smiled a little in spite of the situation. Just then, a huge dark form began to materialize behind Pluto. 

"Watch out!" Uranus warned, but her shout came too late. As Pluto turned, the shadow being lashed out at her and hit her on the shoulder. Pluto was thrown to the pavement. 

"World...Shaking!" SailorUranus' attack hit the shadow-being full force, making it back away from the fallen Senshi. _Guess we don't have to worry about remembering anymore,_ Haruka thought. 

"Deep...Submerge!" SailorNeptune attacked the monster as well, keeping it at bay as SailorUranus moved to help Pluto up. 

"I'll be fine," Pluto said, using her Staff to help her stand. The shadow being had recovered its balance and was advancing on SailorNeptune. 

"Dead...Scream..." Pluto used the same attack that she had used in Haruka and Michiru's dream on the monster. The shadow is reeled from the powerful whispered attack and turned to face Uranus and Pluto. 

"Give up. Kageyajuu cannot be defeated," the creature rumbled in a voice that made the ground shake. 

"Dream on, asshole," Uranus said through gritted teeth. With a savage yell, she lunged for the creature, Space Sword flashing. 

Suddenly, the shadow-being Kageyajuu seemed to shrink. _No, he's not shrinking--he's separating into smaller versions of himself!_ Uranus realized in horror. 

Since she had been aiming for the shadow's head, her attack missed and she landed on the ground, doing an athletic forward roll to break her fall. There was a large angry-looking scrape on her right leg where she had hit some loose gravel on the drive. 

When she was finally able to right herself, SailorUranus realized that she was now faced with three smaller versions of Kageyajuu. "Great," she sighed under her breath. The other Senshi were similarly occupied. 

"Deep...Submerge!" SailorNeptune's attack took out one of her shadow-beings, which dissolved into nothing. As the first smaller shadow being disappeared, the others cried out in shared pain, but seemed to grow a little larger. 

_I see,_ Pluto thought to herself, taking out another monster with her Time Staff. The others cried out again, and grew larger. _As each extension of the shadow is beaten, the others use its mass to increase their own. Any injury we inflict will make the others grow larger even though they share the same pain._ She moved to get as close to SailorNeptune as possible. 

"SailorNeptune!" she called out, dodging an attack by one of the shadow-beings. 

"Listen!" She quickly explained her theory to Michiru, who nodded agreement. 

"I'll tell SailorUranus," Neptune called over her shoulder, jumping over one of the charging shadow-beings. She began to make her way to Haruka. 

Before she could reach her, however, one of the shadow-beings managed to grab her. Neptune cried out in pain. She frantically tried to twist around and use an attack on the monster, but another pinned her arms with a kind of lasso that seemed to be an extension of its body. 

SailorNeptune gritted her teeth and struggled to free herself. She could feel her energy slowly being drained. _I have to hold on..._ she thought. She managed to free one arm and held up her Aqua Mirror. "Submarine...Reflection!" she cried out. The monster vanished with a wail of pain. The other shadows glowed for a moment and grew again. The shadow being that still had a grip on Neptune continued to drain her energy. 

SailorNeptune could feel herself losing consciousness. She thought she heard someone call out her name, but she couldn't be certain. Finally, she felt herself falling. When she hit the ground, everything abruptly faded to blackness and silence. 

* * * * *

"SailorNeptune!" SailorPluto struggled to help her friend, but she was unable to break free from the monsters still attacking her. She was forced to reluctantly turn away from SailorNeptune and focus her attention on the advancing youma, twirling her Staff to block attacks and using it to lash out with some attacks of her own. 

There were three monsters attacking SailorUranus. With a savage yell, she slashed one in half with her Space Sword. Suddenly, Uranus heard a familiar cry. She whirled to see SailorNeptune in the grasp of one of the shadow-beings. "Michiru!" Uranus shouted. She tried to move to help her, but one of the shadow beings darted in her path, swiping a clawed hand at her. The claws raked painfully across Haruka's arm and shoulder. Uranus cried out and was thrown backwards. She managed to collect herself enough to be able to land on three points, her other hand still clutching her Space Sword. 

She looked up just in time to see SailorNeptune free her arm and kill another youma. She felt a surge of elation and relief. But that relief faded quickly as she realized that Neptune was unable to break free from the grasp of the other shadow being. She saw Neptune's struggles begin to weaken and it suddenly dawned on her that the shadow was draining her energy away. Her own two shadow-beings were circling her position on the ground, poised to attack. One lunged at her. She dodged the attack and again tried to get to Michiru. 

Suddenly, Michiru stopped struggling altogether and hung limp in the shadow-being's grasp. "Michiru!" Haruka shouted in horror as the thing flung SailorNeptune away. It was no longer interested in her. SailorNeptune hit the ground hard and the Aqua Mirror slipped from her grasp, landing unscathed in the grass alongside the driveway. 

* * * * *

SailorPluto heard Uranus' agonized cry and turned just in time to see Michiru hit the ground. This pause was just what the shadows had been waiting for. The two youma each grabbed one end of Pluto's Staff, holding her hands down so she couldn't let go of it. The third shadow that had just drained Michiru punched her in the stomach. Pluto doubled over. Then the shadow clasped its hands and struck her at the base of her neck. Pluto went limp instantly. The youma decided that she wasn't going to be giving them any more trouble, so they dropped her to the ground and headed after SailorUranus. 

* * * * *

Pluto groaned. Her stomach felt like it was on fire, her head was pounding, and her vision was blurred. She knew that she was going to pass out. Groaning at the pain that her movement caused, she reached out weakly for her Time Staff, which was lying on the hard ground nearby. She managed to get her fingers around it. 

"Dead...Scream..." she whispered weakly. The attack hit one of the youma square and it disappeared in the flash of ruby light. _It's up to you now, Haruka,_ she thought weakly. Her head dropped to her arms. She was unconscious. 

* * * * *

"World...Shaking!" Another youma disappeared. SailorUranus slashed with her Space Sword at the other and it vanished with a cry. 

"Are you ready to give up now?" 

Haruka whipped her head around. She saw the remaining two youma advancing and realized that she was the only one standing now. Pluto was unconscious on the ground not far from where Michiru lay. 

"You bastard," Haruka spat through gritted teeth. 

The two remaining shadows slowly oozed together into Kageyajuu's original form. "You showed great stamina, Senshi. But you too will be destroyed. As soon as you are unconscious, I will kill you all and the three Talismans will be mine." 

"What the hell do you want with them?" SailorUranus prepared to lunge at Kageyajuu. 

"I will use them to overpower Crystal Tokyo and the Silver Crystal will be mine." 

Suddenly, the shadow being flickered and Kageyajuu was replaced by the image of Omi, the racer that Haruka had faced the other day. 

"I am far too powerful for you, Senshi," the thing rumbled in Omi's voice. "You cannot hope to defeat me." 

_He's trying to hypnotize me,_ Haruka realized. _Trying to trick me into thinking that's really Omi._

"World...Shaking!" The shadow-Omi dodged the attack and struck Uranus on her wounded shoulder. 

She cried out in pain. 

"Like I said, you cannot hope to win." Omi's image began to flicker. 

_He can change his form into anything he wants!_ SailorUranus held up her sword, ready to strike. 

SailorUranus stared, aghast, as the shadow's surface flowed into a new form. 

"Michiru!" Uranus gasped. She lowered her sword. 

"Haruka..." 

Uranus just stared, transfixed. _Michiru?_

The shadow inwardly laughed. _I've got you now, Senshi. You can't resist my hypnotic effects. You wouldn't raise a hand to the one you love, and that will be your downfall._ "You know, Haruka," the shadow--Michiru said, walking toward Uranus, "the fall is a season of death." 

Before SailorUranus could defend herself, Michiru attacked. Long, razor-sharp nails sprang from her fingertips, slashing through the fabric of SailorUranus' uniform, leaving long bloody scratches across her stomach. 

Uranus jumped away frantically, nearly losing her balance. 

_Michiru!_

"What's the matter, Haruka? You don't look happy to see me," Michiru pouted. She grinned wickedly and continued to advance on SailorUranus. "Don't you love me anymore?" 

SailorUranus tried to shake off the hypnotic effects of the shadow-creature's voice. _It wants me to think this is really my Michiru so I won't fight her,_ she thought. It seemed reasonable enough to her mind, but her body refused to obey her mental commands to fight. 

"M-Michiru..." 

"Yes, Haruka?" Michiru was still smiling, still advancing on SailorUranus. 

_Move it, Haruka!_ Uranus thought frantically. But her body refused to obey her. Michiru was only a few feet away from her now. 

Michiru suddenly lashed out her hand again. Haruka could feel blood trickle down her cheek. 

"Oh, no--you're bleeding, Haruka. You should really be more careful." Michiru laughed. 

"Wh-why are you doing this?" SailorUranus asked in a weak voice. 

Michiru just sneered at her and began to move toward her again. 

_You know this isn't really Michiru!_ Uranus brandished her Space Sword with sudden fury. "Stop impersonating Michiru! I know she would never intentionally hurt me!" she shouted angrily. 

Michiru stopped advancing, a stunned look on her face. Then her features hardened into a smirk. "It's me, Michiru, Haruka. You mean you don't recognize me?" She pouted. 

"Shut the hell up!" SailorUranus held her Space Sword out in front of her, ready to strike. There was cold fury in her sea-gray eyes. 

"But--I love you, Haruka." The shadow creature was growing uneasy. Haruka wasn't reacting the way Kageyajuu had expected at all. "You wouldn't hurt me would you?" Michiru asked, moving a few steps closer. 

"Space Sword..." 

Michiru's eyes grew wide. _She wouldn't attack this form, would she?_

"...Blaster!" SailorUranus lunged at Michiru, her sword glowing and a brilliant blue light arcing from it. 

"Submarine...Reflection!" 

Kageyajuu was totally unprepared for the blows. The shadow shrieked in pain and anger as it slowly dissipated into nothingness. 

SailorUranus whirled around. Tears of relief filled her eyes as she saw Neptune, arm extended, Aqua Mirror glinting in the sunlight that was now showing through the filmy gray clouds as they disappeared. Michiru smiled weakly at Haruka. "Good job, eh?" 

"Oh my God, you scared the shit outta me! I thought you were in a coma or something!" Haruka began to move toward Michiru, but her knees buckled and she sank down to the ground, driving the tip of her sword into the packed earth to give her some support. 

"Haruka!" SailorNeptune ran to her lover's side to help her up. 

"Nnnngh..." SailorPluto was stirring. 

"Go help Setsuna, Michiru," SailorUranus instructed, bowing her head and clutching her wounded shoulder. "I'll be fine in a few minutes." 

"Are you sur--" 

"Go on--I'll be fine." 

Neptune nodded uncertainly and went over to Setsuna. Haruka noticed several painful-looking scrapes on Michiru's left leg and arm from where she had hit the pavement, but nothing too major. 

SailorPluto was able to stand with Michiru's help. After a few moments, she was almost back to normal. "I just need a moment--I'm still a little dizzy," she said. 

The Senshi rested for a few moments before reversing their transformations and returning to their normal clothes. 

"Well, that was exhilarating," Haruka joked. 

"I'm glad you can keep a sense of humor about it. Nothing too serious must be wrong with you, then," Michiru replied, smiling. Her eyes were concerned. "Those cuts look painful." 

Haruka wiped blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Yeah, a bit." 

"You're a real mess, Haruka. Had enough adventure for one day?" Michiru asked, smiling quietly. She gingerly touched the long red scratches on Haruka's arm. Haruka winced. 

Setsuna smiled. "You both did very well. I'm sorry that you had to fight so soon." 

Haruka shrugged and Michiru just smiled slightly. 

"I-I'm sorry, Haruka. You had to do most of the fighting yourself--" Setsuna's eyes were downcast. "I did not expect Kageyajuu was that strong." 

Michiru started to apologize as well. 

"Hey, you two, knock it off, OK? We all did our share," Haruka replied, waving a hand in dismissal. The three exchanged smiles. 

"Ah, the joys of being an Outer Senshi, eh? Is this what we have to look forward to all the time, Setsuna?" Michiru asked. 

Setsuna nodded solemnly. "You must protect her Majesty and the Silver Crystal at all costs." 

"Come on, Michiru. We're tough. We can handle it, right?" Haruka asked, winking. 

Michiru smiled. "Sure, Haruka. Come on, let's get you inside and clean you up." 

* * * * *

Michiru and Setsuna led Haruka back to the house, Haruka leaning heavily on Michiru's shoulders for support. 

"Haruka, I think you've gained weight," Michiru said. 

Haruka grunted. 

Michiru smiled slyly. "I don't mind, but just don't expect to be on top for awhile, OK?" she teased. 

"Oh, God, Michiru, please don't make me laugh! It hurts too much!" Haruka groaned, wincing as she tried to suppress her laughter. 

Setsuna smiled to herself. Neo-Queen Serenity would be pleased. The two other Outer Senshi had been found. 

* * * * *

Several weeks later, Haruka and Michiru found themselves backstage at the opera house. "Ready to go?" Haruka asked. "We're on." 

Michiru nodded and smiled. Her dress swished as she passed Haruka. She paused before going out on the stage. She gave Haruka a quick kiss, which was returned. 

"What was that for?" Haruka asked, smiling. 

"For luck, of course," Michiru replied. 

"I don't need luck. I have you," Haruka smiled, putting a hand to Michiru's cheek. 

Michiru smiled and looked into Haruka's eyes for a moment. "I love you, Haruka." 

"I love you, too, Michiru." They smiled at each other for another moment before going onstage. 

  


_The End_


End file.
